» Monthly Archives: May 2008
DEVELOPERS BEWARE: Economic woes, fear of change discourage development
-- New Projects Could Bolster Local Community Economies,
But Opposition, NIMBYism Still Strong --
Despite a steady stream of bad economic news, real estate developers are not going to find it easier to build, a new national survey by The Saint Consulting Group reports..
The need for jobs, new taxes and fear over a weakening economy ...
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Court reverses local attempts to block LNG facilities in Maryland
The struggle to control planning for state and national energy needs has taken another turn in the federal courts, this time perhaps in favor of developers.
Baltimore County passed a zoning ordinance to block AES Corp's plans for a Sparrows Point LNG terminal in Baltimore. A minefield of statutes -- a federal Natural Gas Act (NGA), ...
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Price drops, vacant homes, foreclosures spell more bad news in housing slump
The severity and pain of America's housing slump comes to the fore in a USA Today report by Property Correspondent Noelle Knox, who writes that the bad news just keeps rolling on for residential real estate -- what the headline calls a "trifecta of bad news".
One of every 100 homeowners faced foreclosure last year ...
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Don’t Count On Prop. 99
May 19, 2008 Los Angeles Times THE PURPORTED ANTI-CONDEMNATION MEASURE WOULD ACTUALLY BLOCK MEANINGFUL EMINENT-DOMAIN REFORM. The U.S. Supreme Court created a huge political backlash when it ruled that local governments could use eminent domain to seize private property and transfer it to other private owners for "economic development." Since the Kelo ruling in ...
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California’s Proposition 99 purports to stop eminent domain — don’t fall for it
On June 3 Californians vote on Proposition 99, a ballot initiative sponsored by groups representing cities, counties, redevelopment agencies and other pro-condemnation interests. It purports to protect property rights against eminent domain, but it actually provides almost no protection. Citing a Saint Index finding that only 21 percent of Americans know whether their state ...
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Slow growth policies puzzle developers about rules in Winter Park
A slow-growth alliance has halted development in Winter Park, Florida -- what lies ahead for a community that has acted to safeguard its refined, lush character but still needs to find sources of new revenue? While residents breathe a sigh of relief, developers wonder what will be the new rules. Quality development will come before ...
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NIMBYism spreads, self-interest is real reason Americans oppose development
Opposition to real estate development -- commercial and residential -- is increasing and represents a growing concern for real estate developers and politics alike, according to the 2007 Saint Index survey of Americans' attitudes towards development. Patrick Fox, president of The Saint Consulting Group, writes in the May issue of Shopping Center Business that ...
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Desperate borrowers mail in home keys when they can’t make house payment
Noelle Knox reports in USA Today how desperation is seeping into the lives of borrowers whose mortgages now exceed the value of their homes. Some simply mail in their keys to lenders rather than trying to work out a new payment plan and despite the damage they do to their own credit ratings. In ...
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Care for the Community
May 2008 Quarry Management WITH THE SPREAD OF 'NIMBYISM', THE AGGREGATES INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO FACE THE CHALLENGING TEST OF CHANGING THE NEGATIVE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF QUARRIES. THE SAINT CONSULTING GROUP OFFER SOME ADVICE ON OVERCOMING PUBLIC OPPOSITION A recent survey carried out by The Saint Consulting Group has found that nearly nine out of ...
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Opposition To Development Takes A New Turn
May 2008 Shopping Center Business VIEWS ARE CHANGING AS THE COMMERCIAL MARKET SLOWS, BUT NIMBYISM CONTINUES TO SPREAD. Opposition to development—commercial and residential—is increasing, and represents a growing concern for real estate developers and politicians alike, according to the 2007 Saint Index Survey of Americans' attitudes towards development. In comparison to 2006, when opposition ...
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